Manufacture of mouthpiece cigarettes



y 1968 D. w. MOLINS 3,384,094

MANUFACTURE OF MOUTHPIECE CIGARETTES Filed March 11, 1965 K 05 6 L l E i5 2 I f 1 4475/ a film ma /4.1;

1Z1, 414, wwwzaa United States Patent 3 384,094 MANUFACTURE OFIl'IOUTHPIECE CIGARETTES Desmond Walter Molins, Deptford, London,England, as-

signor to The Molins Organisation Limited, a British company Filed Mar.11, 1965, Ser. No. 438,854 Claims priority, application Great Britain,Mar. 26, 1964, 12,881/64 3 Claims. (Cl. 131-94) ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE Mouthpiece cigarettes each having two mouthpiece stubs aremade by inserting a double-length stub between two cigarette lengths,cutting the double-length stub in half, separating the two two halvesendwise, inserting a further double-length stub between the two halves,closing up all the elements endwise, enclosing the studs and theadjacent ends of the cigarette lengths in a wrapper, and then cuttingthrough the central stub.

This invention concerns improvements in or relating to the manufactureof mouthpiece cigarettes.

Mouthpiece cigarettes are known which consist of a length of cigaretterod abutted against and joined to a mouthpiece portion by an encirclinguniting band. The mouthpiece portion often consists of filteringmaterial, but may take other forms-for example it may be a length ofhollow tube. Any mouthpiece portion suitable for joining to a length ofcigarette rod will for convenience be referred to herein as a stub, andany suitable length of cigarette rod to which a stub may be joined willbe referred to as a cigarette length.

Mouthpiece cigarettes are sometimes provided with composite mouthpieceseach containing two or more stubs which usually differ from each otherin their constructionfor example the outermost stub, which is visible,

ray be chosen mainly for its appearance, while the inner stub or stubsmay be of a kind selected for their filtering or other characteristics.Various methods have been proposed for producing such cigarettes, or forproducing suitable lengths of mouthpiece material which in corporate anumber of stubs.

According to the present invention there is provided a method of makingmouthpiece cigarettes which comprises the steps of forming a groupconsisting of two cigarette lengths with a double-length stub betweenand in line with them, cutting the double-length stub to produce twosingle-length stubs, separating the said single-length stubs endwisewhile maintaining them in line with the cigarette lengths, inserting afurther double-length stub between the two single-length stubs, bringingall the stubs and cigarette lengths into endwise abutment, enclosing thestubs in an encircling uniting band which partly overlaps the cigarettelengths and which is the sole means by which the stubs are joined to thecigarette lengths, and cutting through the said further double-lengthstub to produce two mouthpiece cigarettes each consisting of a cigarettelength and two stubs end to end and joined by a single uniting band. Thefirst said double-length stub may be inserted between the said twocigarette lengths while the latter are moving axially, the remainingoperations being performed while ,the cigarette length and stubs aremoving laterally.

The invention further provides a mouthpiece cigarette consisting of acigarette length joined to two end to end stubs by means of a singleencircling uniting band which is also the sole means of joining the twostubs to each other.

A method in accordance with the invention will now 3,384,094 PatentedMay 21, 1968 be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, inwhich the successive figures illustrate successive stages in theproduction of a mouthpiece cigarette in accordance with the invention.

As shown in FIGURE 1, two cigarette lengths C are arranged spacedendwise apart and a double-length stub DS is placed between them and inline with them. This group may be produced in any convenient way, forexample the cigarette lengths may be fed axially as they issue from thecut-off of a cigarette-making machine, and may be accelerated to spacethem endwise to accommodate a double-length stub which is fed into thegap after every other cigarette length, all while the cigarette lengthsare moving endwise.

In FIGURE 2 the group is shown with the parts abutted endwise. Althoughthey are shown closely abutted, this is not essential, since they couldif desired be left spaced somewhat apart at this stage. The group ispreferably now moved sideways, i.e. transversely of its length, for theremaining operations, although it will be understood that if desired allthe operations could be performed while the parts are moving axially.The next operation is to sever the double-length stub DS transversely,at the position shown by the chain-dotted line in FIGURE 2, to form twosingle length stubs. These are indicated by the reference S in FIGURE 3,which illustrates the next stage in which the single-length stubs S areseparated endwise from each other to provide a suflicient space for afurther double-length stub to be inserted. In FIGURE 3 both the stubs Sand the two cigarette length are shown to have been moved endwise, butit will be understood that if the parts were not previously abutted, itmight be necessary only to move the stubs S apart. Also the separationcould be effected by moving only one stub S and its associated cigarettelength C.

A further double-length stub DS is then inserted into the gap as shownin FIGURE 4.

Following this, all the parts are closed up endwise into close abutment,as shown in FIGURE 5.

The next step is to enclose all the stubs in an encircling, adhesiveuniting band B which partly overlaps the end portions of the twocigarette lengths. This results in a unitary assemblage in which thethree separate stubs S S and D8 are joined not only to the cigarettelengths but also to each other by a single wrapping.

The final step is to subdivide the assemblage into two mouthpiececigarettes by cutting through the band B and through the double-lengthstub D5 as indicated by the chain-dotted line in FIGURE 6.

Each of the resulting mouthpiece cigarettes, shown in FIGURE 7, has amouthpiece consisting of two individual, single-length stubs S and Swhich are joined to each other and also to the cigarette length solelyby a single uniting band.

It will be seen that the stubs and cigarette lengths should as far as ispracticable all have the same diameter.

The nature of the stub DS may be determined by its appearance, while thestub DS may be chosen purely for its filtering or other characteristics.

It will be understood that if desired, the stub DS could be severed, andthe resulting stubs S separated endwise, and a still further doublelength stub inserted between them, before the uniting band is applied.This would produce cigarette having mouthpieces consisting each of threestubs.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A method of making mouthpiece cigarettes which comprises in sequencethe steps of forming -a group consisting of two cigarette length with adouble-length stub between and in line with them feeding the said group3 A v A ransversely of itslength, cutting the double-length stub, vhileit is between and in line with the two cigarette engths, to produce twosingle-length stubs, separating he said single-length stubs endwisewhile maintaining hem in line with the cigarette lengths, inserting afurther iouble-length stub between the two single-1ength stubs 1nd inline therewith and with the cigarette lengths, Jringing all the stubsand cigarette lengths into endwise ibutrnent, enclosing the stubs in anencircling uniting and which partly overlaps the cigarette length andwhich S the sole means by which the stubs are joined to the :igarettelengths, and cutting through the said further.

iouble-length stub to produce two mouthpiece cigarettes :ach consistingof a cigarette length and two stubs end vo end joined by a singleuniting band.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the first said iouble-lengthStub is inserted between the said two cigaette lengths while the latterare moving axially, and the 'emaining operations are performed while thecigarette engths and stubs are moving transversely of their lengths.

s. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first said double-lengthStub is brought into, enclwise abutment "with the two cigarette lengthsbefore it is cut, and the two single-length stubs produced by cutting itare maintained in endwise abutment with their adjacent cigarette lengthsduring and after endwise separation from each other.

- References Cited 8 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,998,820 9/1961 Ades131-10.7 3,219,041 I I/1965' Bromberg 131-107 3,245,414 4/1966 Rudszinat13194 2,740,409 4/ 1956 Korber 131-94 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,188,413 3/1959France. I 1,330,951 5/1963 France.

959,345 5/1964 Great Britain.

LUCIE H. LAUDENSLAGER, Primary Examiner;

